While in Germany, Leon Draisaitl gave an update on his injury, which spooked Edmonton Oilers fans about how long he might be out. Quickly after, the organization provided their own update through trusted insider Elliotte Friedman.
Leon Draisaitl is currently unavailable for the Edmonton Oilers as he is dealing with a lower-body injury. Because of this injury, Draisaitl was sent overseas to his home country, Germany, for specialized treatment.
While he is in Germany, he decided to attend a soccer game between Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Union Berlin. At the game, he was interviewed by Sky Sports’ Ben Heckner, and when asked about his injury status, his answer has spooked Oilers fans.
“It will definitely take a few weeks,” Draisaitl said to Heckner in German. “I hope we go far enough so I can help the team again.”
Sportsnet’s NHL insider, Elliotte Friedman, explained why Draisaitl’s comments are concerning the fans of Edmonton during his ‘Saturday Headlines’ segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
“I looked into it,” Friedman said on Saturday’s broadcast. “The Oilers this past week said that if everything goes as scheduled, he’ll be back around the end of the regular season or right at the end of the regular season. That timeline right now has not changed.”
On Tuesday, the Oilers announced that they expect Draisaitl to miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering his injury against the Nashville Predators on March 15. And according to Friedman’s sources, he should be good for the playoffs.
Therefore, Oilers fans are confused by the players’ and the team’s contradictory comments.
“At this point in time, everybody would love an answer: ‘Is he going to be ready for the start of the playoffs?’ As long as he goes through everything in rehab properly, and he’s not having surgery… the feeling is the timeline hasn’t changed,” Friedman reported.
Draisaitl has already missed three games, including Edmonton’s 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
If he indeed does not make another appearance this regular season, the German’s campaign ends with 35 goals and 97 points in 65 games played. His streak of 100-point seasons would come to an end at four.
Furthermore, Draisaitl hasn’t missed a playoff game for the Oilers in the last four post-seasons. Teammates Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also share that statistic with him.
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